Rotary Club of Maiduguri has donated medical supplies and hygiene materials to Borno State government to boost its efforts against the ongoing cholera outbreak.
The items handed over to the Ministry of Health were IV fluids, oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, disinfectants, and protective gear for health workers.
The donation, valued at over N1 million, was presented yesterday at the State Secretariat, Maiduguri, the state capita, by a delegation led by the club’s president, Abdulkareem Haruna.
The initiative underscores the Rotary Club’s core mandate of humanitarian service above self, as the club seeks to support the government during this trying period of cholera epidemics that have claimed dozens of lives and affected thousands of residents.
A former health commissioner and permanent secretary at Borno State Ministry of Environment, who doubles as the Club’s Foundation and Head of the Health Committee, Dr Juliana Bitrus, said the donated medical consumables include 30 cartons of Ringer’s Lactate, two cartons of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), 1.5 cartons of giving sets, six boxes of cannula of different sizes, one carton of hand sanitiser, two rolls of spirit, five packets of Neogloves, four rolls of cotton wool and one customised cholera bed.
Receiving the items, the state commissioner for Health, Prof. Baba Malam Gana, lauded the club for leading the non-governmental sector in providing critical support.
“This is such a wonderful gesture that the government and the ministry commends and appreciates,” the commissioner remarked.
He further emphasized the importance of these supplies, noting that “the items donated form part of the critical medical drugs and consumables needed at the various Cholera Treatment Centers to save lives”.
Addressing the path forward, Professor Malam expressed the need for continued partnership: “In terms of support, you’ve done that before, but I thought, you know, I will be a leverage by asking for more help. You have brought us help; we are asking for more so your team can participate in terms of cholera vaccination which will commence shortly, and also in terms of educating the public—washing hands, which can extend to even schools”.
The Commissioner highlighted that while the peak of the current outbreak is among adults aged 21 to 51, the state is prioritizing a comprehensive strategy to decentralize treatment centers and ramp up public awareness. “We are going to count on Rotary Club to help us to ensure that the people who are supposed to get the vaccination are well-informed and well-vaccinated,” Professor Malam added.
Concluding his remarks, the Commissioner confirmed that the donated items would be immediately deployed: “Immediately these items will be transferred to our vehicles and this will be taken to the cholera control center, one in Djemtilo, the other one is at MSF center, Ngarannam, where we will be able to make use of them immediately”.
Rotarian Haruna reaffirmed the club’s commitment to standing with the government, noting that the donation is part of a broader, ongoing effort to help Borno State remain free of health crises.
